KTKA

As you walk through the automatic doors at Mercy Regional Hospital, you'll notice several different signs, all describing ways to protect yourself from getting the H1N1 flu.

"Let's try to stop the spread of the disease," Riley County Director of Emergency Services Larry Couchman said.

Last week, the amount of patients who came to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Health Center increased by 70 percent. A little less than half of those patients came because of flu-like symptoms.

"We actually tested about 212 patients for H1N1 in about a 6-day period," Couchman said.

That's why the hospital has made some changes.

If patients do come in with flu-like symptoms, they have to put on a mask, clean their hands, and stay on the side of the waiting area partitioned off from the rest of the room and nurses helping H1N1 patients have to strap on the gowns, gloves and masks before entering the patient's room.

"We've got to protect ourselves so we can be here to serve our patients," Couchman explained.

To protect workers and patients, the hospital has temporarily changed its visitor policy. No one under the age of 12 can visit patients and only one visitor is allowed into the Birth and Women's Center.

"They're in a category that's high-risk for the H1N1 influenza," Couchman said.

The hospital and doctor's offices in the county have seen an increase in H1N1 cases this month, but emergency services says unless you have a chronic illness or are high-risk, you shouldn't go to the doctor.

"Let those health-care resources be utilized for those patients that are truly more sick or have other issues that we need to deal with," he said.

Instead, if you feel flu-like symptoms use over the counter medicine and stay at home until at least 24 hours after your fever has gone away.